Title – Through The Eye Of A Shipper – S02 E05 Crossing The Line

Authors' Names - Carol and Michi or Michi and Carol

Paring – Harm & Mac

Spoilers – Season 2 Episode 5: Crossing The Line

Disclaimer – JAG belongs to DPB, CBS, and Paramount.

Summary – This is a a 'missing scene'-story and about how 'Crossing The Line' (Airdate: 01/31/97) should've been continued when you saw it through the eye of a shipper… 'CTL' is the episode where Bud and Harriet met for the first time while Harm and Mac investigated a female fighter pilot's charge of sexual harassment against her commanding officer Capt. Boone on the Seahawk.

Author's Notes-

1. Since this series will deal with an episode, which aired many years ago, it means that we risk having a FF storyline that might seem somehow familiar. There's hope that our ideas are unique, but should that not be the case we apologize and swear to our god and chocolate that we did not know it and we did not do it on purpose. It's also possible that we somehow 'screw-up' a little with the dateline, in case we're using one. We promise to give our best to work with the right one.

2. Please don't forget that the episode we're working on is the 'actual aired episode'. This means, nothing after said episode happened. Also know that each TTEOAS story is a 'Stand Alone Story' in this series.

3. A huge thanks goes to our beta reader JJ. However, any mistakes left are ours.

4. The rest of the 'Through The Eye Of A Shipper'-series you can either find at Carol's website or Michi's web site

Pacific Ocean

9:35 PM

It was time. The Tomcats were ready for the landing after the orderly training flight by congressional intervention.

Congresswoman Adele DeLong, an advocate for widening women's role in military combat, had forced Captain Boone to schedule the pilot Lieutenant Marilyn Isaaks for a training flight, even though he'd grounded her because she's a bad pilot and an 'accident waiting to happen'.

Harm felt that the Congresswoman's decision would have deadly consequences but she wouldn't hear any of it and remained by her demand. She'd called Admiral Drake and he'd made the final decision to get the lieutenant back on flight-status.

While Mac was waiting on the bridge with the Skipper and Congresswoman DeLong for Capt. Boone, Lt. DeLong and her RIO Lieutenant Elizabeth 'Skates' Hawkes to return, Harm had received permission to await the landing on the LSO platform.

"CAG's back," Harm said and watched Captain Boone's smooth landing. Then his eyes immediately went back up to sky, trying to locate the lieutenant's Tomcat, which was cleared for landing now.

With eagle eyes he watched the plane approaching. Harm saw that they were too low for a landing and promptly got the confirmation by the LSO's instructions to the lieutenant that she missed attitude. "Come on, Issaks. Get back on the glide slop," Harm muttered out loud.

"I'll fly manual," Lt. Issaks suddenly announced over the radio and changed the setting.

"Power's gone off," Harm screamed as soon as he saw that the engines had fallen out.

Mac, who could hear Harm's scream loud and clear over the radio, immediately looked up to the monitor. Congresswoman DeLong and the Skipper copied Mac's reaction and together they saw the Tomcat was way to low for a safe landing.

"Attitude… Attitude," the LSO strongly commanded. "Power… Power… Power," he said before the entire crew on the LSO platform took cover, because they knew it was too late and that a ramp strike was the consequence.

"Ejecting," Skates screamed over the radio before the Tomcat hit the ramp and blew up into a huge fireball.

Mac took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Then she turned her gaze away from the monitor, windows and the disaster on the deck below.

The alarm on the aircraft carrier immediately started up while the Seahawk crew on the flight deck got into action. Harm, who'd landed pretty hard on the deck a few moments earlier, slowly got back his wits and tried to find his bearings.

"She's falling into the fire," the Skipper said as he watched on the monitor of the bridge that one of the crewmembers from the Tomcat was floating with her parachute right into the burning Tomcat. Mac immediately returned her gaze back to the monitor, only to see the parachute sailing right into the flames.

Harm saw it as well but suddenly turned his gaze back to the sky, seeing that the second crewmember wasn't landing in the flames but rather going over the side. He immediately stood up and ran to the space where the parachute came down, hoping that he wasn't too late.

Harm spotted the already torn parachute, realizing that it was entangled with a pipe at the end of the safely net. Without thinking twice, he jumped down and right onto the safety net.

Mac followed the Skipper and Congresswoman DeLong and left the bridge. "Where's Harm?" She worriedly asked and tried to spot him on the deck. However, her eyes couldn't find him and with every second she got more concerned about him.

Harm in the meantime tried to get a good hold on the torn parachute. He used all his strength to lift up the lieutenant, while someone behind him took a hold onto his legs. It took some time and finally he was able to get her onto the safely net.

Mac couldn't stand it anymore. She needed to find Harm and to make sure that he was okay. She tore her gaze away from the still burning Tomcat and looked at Congresswoman DeLong, letting her eyes speak out the blame she couldn't say out loud. Then, without waiting for permission from the Skipper, Mac left the bridge.

The blazing fire around Harm was hot, the thick smoke was making his lungs burn, but he was still able to get Skates out of the danger zone. He carried her as far away from the plane as possible. Then he laid her down on the ground and carefully took off her helmet while the medical help arrived.

Skates slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Harm, who silently answered her with a nod. "How are you doing, Skates?" Captain Boone asked when he knelt right next to her.

"You own me, Sir," Lt. Hawkes immediately answered and gave him a little smile before she was carried away on a stretcher.

Captain Boone stepped forward and shook Harm's hand before yet another explosion was heard in the background. Together they looked at the burning plane and then exchanged another look. Without saying one word, the CAG turned around and left Harm standing alone on the deck.

Harm took one last look at the Tomcat and was still able to clearly read the word 'Navy' through the blazing flames. He took a deep breath, shook his head in disbelief, and then slowly made his way to the door leading off the flight deck. As soon as he opened it, someone was crashing into him. "Oooof… Hey, slow down, Bud-dy," Harm started to growl but his voice softened the moment he saw with whom he'd collided. "Hey, slow down, Marine. What's the hurry?"

Mac raised her head and looked up into Harm's shining eyes. Slowly a little smile covered her face but it immediately vanished the moment she looked closer at her partner. "Are you okay, Harm?" Mac asked with the worry clearly audible in her voice.

Harm just shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. "Sure. I'm okay, Mac. This sailor learned from a certain marine how to take cover," he told her and smirked.

"Obviously we'll have to practice a bit more."

Harm raised his eyebrow, not understanding what Mac meant. "Why?"

She just pointed at his forehead and Harm touched it with his hand, grimacing the moment he felt the moisture of blood there. "It's a pretty good gash you have there, Harm. You better go and clean it up."

"Sounds like a plan," Harm answered and together they walked through the corridors and made their way to their staterooms. After a short time, he stopped in front of his hatch. "You don't by chance have some kind of crème I could use for this?" He asked and looked at Mac, who was already opening the hatch of her stateroom.

"Yeah, I should have something. Give me a minute and I'll get it from my room."

"Okay. You know where I live," Harm said and smiled. "You can just come in because I may be in the head".

Mac smirked. "Are you sure? I may walk into you while you're butt naked," Mac joked and entered her quarters, not waiting for Harm's answer.

"Now there's an idea," Harm chuckled and walked into his own.

A short time later

Harm's Stateroom

Just as Harm had told her, Mac walked into his room without bothering to knock first. She could see his shirt lying on the bunk, but it looked like it was the only clothes he had taken off. In the background she could hear the sound of running water. "Incoming," Mac hollered and could hear Harm's chuckle in response. She opened the door of the tinny bathroom and could see Harm was standing in front of the sink, trying to clean up his face.

Mac giggled when she saw the result of his work.

Harm turned his face to her. "What's so funny, Marine?"

"Why are you camouflaging your face, Harm?" She asked and tried to get her giggles under control again. He simply looked too cute with the soot smeared all over his face.

"Camouflaging?" Harm repeated Mac's word and looked up to check out his face in the mirror above the sink. "Geez, who am I? Rambo?"

Mac couldn't hold back anymore and started to laugh. "A few more muscles, much longer hair and it could work. Give me the washcloth, maybe I can save your beauty face."

"Beauty face, huh? Didn't know you thought of me like that, Mac?"

"Shut up and take place on the commode. Otherwise, you can keep on playing Rambo Jr."

"Aye, aye, Ma'am," Harm saluted and sat down on the commode.

Mac took the washcloth from Harm and wet it with more cold water before she stepped between his spread legs. "With so much space here, we could have a party with a band," Mac said with sarcasm and started to carefully clean Harm's face. The only injury on his face was the gash on his forehead, where she was even more careful to wipe off the soot.

Harm kept an eye on Mac, seeing how concentrated and careful she was nursing him. 'Nurse MacKenzie,' he thought and had to chuckle.

"Are you ticklish on your face?" Mac asked in disbelief.

Harm continued to chuckle. "No, I just thought that you missed your real calling," he explained with a smirk.

"And that would be?"

"You would have been a great nurse," Harm started to tell her and immediately got her reply. "Ouch," he yelled and pulled his face away. "Be gentle, Marine."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Did I touch your boo-boo?" Mac asked innocently. Then she turned around to place the dirty washcloth into the sink before taking the antibiotic cream she'd brought with her from the shelf. "Okay, this may burn a little."

"'kay," Harm quietly answered and took a deep breath, never taking his eyes from Mac's face.

Tenderly she started to smooth the antibiotic cream into the cut on his forehead. When she was done with her job, Mac quickly, and without any intentions, kissed the spot above his cut. "There. All done," she gently told him and started to move away, only to be held back by Harm and his strong, but still gently, grip on her forearm.

Their eyes met once more and both had to smile. Harm then raised his hand to cup Mac's face into it. Slowly he started to pull her face to his, feeling that Mac quickly gave up her defenses. Both could feel their hot breath on each other's face. "Thank you, Mac," Harm whispered before his lips met hers to give her a short but sweet kiss. "You were really worried earlier, weren't you?" Harm quietly asked after they'd broken the kiss.

Without thinking twice, Mac nodded her head and then started to smile. "Do you have a tendency to play Superman?"

Harm chuckled. He took her hand into his and squeezed it. "Only if you're Lois Lane."

"I'm not too sure about that one, Harm," Mac told him with a smile.

Harm looked at Mac and carefully thought about her personality. "I don't know. You could be Lois Lane."

"Why would you say that?"

Harm carefully stood up in the small bathroom and looked at Mac. "Well, Lois was very intelligent, sharp-witted, beautiful, and articulate."

Mac stood in mild shock at Harm's words. "You think I'm intelligent?"

"You are very intelligent." Harm paused. "Was that all you heard?"

Mac shyly chuckled and a mild blush filled her cheeks. She felt like a schoolgirl as she looked up upon her handsome, shirtless, friend. "You think I'm beautiful, too."

Harm carefully placed his hand on her cheek. "I think you are very beautiful." He leaned down and kissed her soft lips again, this time the kiss was filled with a bit more passion and he let his other hand rest on the side of her hip. Mac pressed her lips to his and totally forgot where they were. Their kiss didn't last that long, but it was long enough for them both to know that something very important was happening here. As their kiss broke, Mac opened her eyes to see a vision of blue-green staring back into hers.

"Maybe some night when we get back to DC, the two of us could go out for dinner," Harm offered.

Mac smiled softly. "That sounds like a nice idea."

Harm grinned, he was getting ready to say something, but he wasn't sure what. And besides Mac saved him, her smile brightened as she thought of the idea of a date with Harm and before she lost her courage, she gave him a peek on his lips. "Good night, Clark," she said and without waiting for a response left the bathroom.

"Good night, Lois," Harm whispered and then could hear Mac closing the hatch behind her.

THE END